My Next Thirty Years
by Relatively Unknown
Summary: An early birthday songfic for Kakashi! Read and enjoy!


**A/N**: I know, it's a little early, but I couldn't wait to post this. :grin: The song is "My  
Next Thirty Years" by Tim McGraw, and, on an interesting side note, the song was  
written by none other than Phil Vassar (who I'm listening to right now). 

Coolios.

Anyhow, here's my early birthday fic for Kakashi. (And yes, I know he's not thirty yet,  
but bear with me, okay?)

****

SANITIZED: LYRICS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. THIS IS THE FFNET APPROVED, SANITARY, MADE-FOR-KIDDIES VERSION. TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL, GO TO MY SITE AND VENTURE UNDER "THE WORKS" AND THE APPROPRIATE SHOW.

* * *

_MISSING WORDS_

Kakashi awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside his window. He contemplated  
pitching something out at them, as he did every day, but today he decided to give them a  
break. It was his birthday, after all, and he didn't want to start it off badly by being cussed  
out by several birds who had a problem with sleeping in.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to catch any more Z's, he rolled out of bed and dressed. A  
glance at the calendar in his kitchen proved what he already knew-- it was September  
15th, his birthday; but not just any birthday. No, it was his thirtieth birthday, and that  
thought alone caused him pause and think about that. How many of his friends, comrades,  
even others whom he never really knew, how many of them hadn't made it to thirty? Too  
many, he decided. How he himself had made it this far was a mystery, considering he  
seemed to attract trouble like a magnet.

He had lost most of those he had cared about enough to call friends years ago, though a  
few were still around. They had died doing and being what they loved-- ninja. And  
somehow, he had slipped through cracks, managing to make it this far. Many, many times  
he had wondered why he hadn't died with them, since by all accounts he should have  
long ago. Still, he hadn't. He was here, at thirty. It was both a sobering and cheerful  
thought, one that, either way, was enough to make him raise his glass and toast the  
calendar.

_MISSING WORDS_

He was strolling along, down the streets of Konoha, and to anyone who had the chance to  
see him (and believe it was him, at this hour) it would have appeared that he hadn't a care  
in the world. Most days, that wouldn't be true by a long shot. Today, however... it came  
pretty close. For the first time in... well... a long time, he felt content. Not happy, but  
content.

He wasn't sure where he was heading, but he had a feeling it was the Monument. It held a  
number of memories for him. It was there that he had last spoken to Yondaime, his  
sensei, before he died; it was there, on that dark stone, that the names of his fallen  
comrades stood etched; and it was there that he had passed his first students ever, the  
infamous Team 7. There were few people or places that he held close to his heart-- the  
Monument was one of them.

He remembered that last conversation with Yondaime like it was yesterday. It was just  
before the Kyuubi's initial attack on that ill-famed day sixteen years ago, when he was  
barely fourteen years old. Kakashi had expressed his fears over being a jounin as well as  
other things, and Yondaime had brought him there. He had explained to him that it was  
okay to be afraid, but the trick was to stand up to that fear. It hadn't struck a cord with  
him right away, but a day later, after his sensei and father-figure was gone, he had taken it  
to heart. So much in fact, that he started acting fearless, doing plenty of stupid things. In  
the end, though, he had wisened up and realized that wasn't what Yondaime had meant.

Still, he wasn't against pulling some pranks now and then. A few would even make  
Naruto and Konohamaru stand in awe.

_MISSING WORDS_

He arrived at the Monument and couldn't help but smile slightly beneath his mask. It was  
odd, especially with the names of most of his friends on it, but it had always been a  
comfort to him. Sighing, he sat down, leaning against the stone, and watched the clouds  
drift in the sky. He could understand why Shikamaru liked to do this; it was relaxing and  
calming. Peaceful. And at this moment, nothing could change that.

Unless Gai decided to show up.

He didn't really hate his "eternal rival" or even really consider him a rival, but he could  
be downright annoying. Most of the time, he just tuned Gai's ranting out, an art he had  
perfected out of necessity. The rest of the time, he was just tempted to do something  
completely unexpected to him; dumping a bucket of water on him, for example. He had  
never done it, but it was always amusing to think about. One of these days, though, he'd  
have to settle things with Gai once and for all, or risk actually doing something  
unexpected. But that could wait. For now, he was just content with being content.

His first thirty years had had their share of pain, but there were good moments as well.  
Hopefully, in the years to come, they would be more plentiful.

_MISSING WORDS_

Every year, on his birthday, he would make resolutions much like people did for New  
Year's. Rarely did he ever keep them for even a day, but this time, it would be different.  
He'd try harder. Maybe last a week.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed at the Monument, but by the time he headed back into  
town it was full of life. He watched, idly amused, as everyone seemed to be in sort of  
hurry to be somewhere or to do something. He never could understand the rush; things  
will happen in their own sweet time, so why try speed the process along? He supposed he  
shared that with the Nara boy as well-- the inability to comprehend why anyone would  
want to make things go or move faster. Yondaime had been like that.

As he neared the Ichikaru, he saw his former team. They were sixteen now, with both  
boys almost at jounin level and Sakura happy with being a chuunin and  
teacher-in-training. They had changed greatly from when he first had encountered them,  
growing up and maturing. Well, for the most part.

_MISSING WORDS_

Sasuke now had a fully developed Sharingan; they were permanently in place, like  
Itachi's had been. Yes, he had succeeded in the death of "that man" the year before. It was  
a feat unto itself, and Kakashi allowed himself to be secretly smug that he had taught the  
boy a good part of what he knew. Sasuke had also grown his hair out, and now it was as  
long as Hyuuga Neji's. He was still the cold, pale bastard that he had always been, but  
had soft spots for his teammates.

Sakura had bloomed late physically, but it seemed to be worth the wait for her. She could  
now tempt men away from Kurenai, and she knew it, but was still the same fiesty, sharp  
girl she had ever been. She was a teacher's aide at the moment to Iruka, who showing her  
the ropes of becoming a teacher. Her rivalry with Ino was still in place, even though Ino  
had long since given up on Sasuke and started chasing Shikamaru. Now, they competed  
over who could be the better girlfriend. It was amusing, to say the least, though Kakashi  
often learned things he _really_ didn't want to know.

Naruto had managed to change the most and still stay the same. He had completely fused  
with Kyuubi, and his eternally messy blonde hair now had streaks of red with it. His eyes  
were an unnerving shade of violet, but they held the same sparkle the old blue ones did.  
Surprisingly, he was the tallest of them all, nearly reaching Kakashi's six feet (who knew  
the Kyuubi had something to do with that). Personality-wise, however, he was the  
flamboyant, boisterous boy that had made him a household name in the village.

And Kakashi? Well, he hadn't changed much. Now, though, he was thirty, and was  
starting to think that maybe bachelorhood wasn't the way to go. Either way, he was  
definitely going to start hanging around more often; he had missed too much playing the  
loner. He had done it through the last thirty years; he wasn't going to do through the next.

Smiling, he entered the Ichikaru and snagged a seat next to his comrades.

_MISSING WORDS_

* * *

**A/N**: So, how was it? Wordy, I know, but that's my style, and if you don't like it...  
_rasberry_ Reviews welcome! Flames are fine! Either way, have a nice Kakashi Birthday.  
_grin_


End file.
